Stick a needle through straws for a creative decor piece you can put in any room

Kasey Van Dyke

Contributing Writer

There's nothing more satisfying than making your space your own. Fundamentally, we want to put our mark on our homes and use them as an expression of who we are. The worst part about decorating a home or a room is the expense. Luckily, with just a few materials you can decorate your living area in an afternoon and spend only a few dollars.

The best part about this wall hanging project is how affordable and easy it is to make. When your style changes or your overall motif gets an update, you can update your walls with ease. This is also a fun craft for younger members of the family to give them a sense of ownership in their space. No matter where you place your wall hanging, it will add color and some fun to any room.

Instructions1. Lay out a long piece of painter's tape sticky-side up. Place one of the plastic straws at the middle point of the tape.

2. Next to your first straw, place another straw with a bit of the straw positioned above the top line of the tape. On the other side of the first straw, place another straw, lining it up with the second.

3. Place a fourth and fifth straw next to the third and fourth straws, again with a bit of the straw positioned above the top of the previously placed ones.

4. Place the sixth and seventh straws at the same level as the fourth and fifth. Then, continue the pattern two straws at a time on each side until you have the width you're looking for.

5. Trim off the excess tape after you've placed your last straws. Apply another strip of tape on the front of the straws above the bottom of the outer ones.

6. Use a needle and embroidery floss to thread all the straws on one string. Pull your needle through the middle of all the straws, starting at a point on the outer straw that's lower than the top of the middle straw. Once you've threaded all the straws, tie a knot on each side to secure them together, then trim your thread.

7. Remove the pieces of tape from the wall hanging. Lay it flat, and paint one side of the straws with chalk paint. We used the color “Maui Sand” from FolkArt Home Decor Chalk Paint.

8. Once the paint is dry, flip the wall hanging, and paint the other side.

9. When the paint dries on the second side, you can begin adding tassels and attaching your wall hanging to a wooden dowel. Start by looping the embroidery thread through the loop of a tassel and tying a knot. Trim the shorter end. Pull enough length of embroidery floss to easily pass through one of the straws, and thread it onto a needle.

10. Push your needle up through the hollow center of the first straw on the wall hanging. You might want to use a wooden dowel to push the needle all the way. Pull the needles through the top of the straw, so the tassel is flush with the bottom.

11. Position a wooden dowel above the wall hanging, and tie the embroidery floss you just pulled through the straw around the dowel. You may want to double or triple knot the embroidery floss to make sure your wall hanging is secure. Trim the remaining floss.

12. Repeat steps 9-11 to attach additional tassels. We used two colors of tassels and ended with five tassels in total.

13. On the outer end of the wooden dowel, tie another piece of embroidery floss. Tie the other end of the floss to the opposite end of the wooden dowel. Trim any excess floss. This will give you a way to hang your wall hanging.